deals

What’s one way to ease into the Monday of the first week of June? Get a head start on planning the weekend. Lucky for those of you living in or within driving distance of San Diego, June 7 and 8 is ripe with possibilities. Here are three San Diego events that caught my eye.

SATURDAY, JUNE 7: Art Around Adams. This free community event turns the neighborhoods of Normal Heights and Kensington into a festival of visual arts, performance arts, crafts, and music. Art galleries will be set up in front of Adams Avenue stores and over 50 musical acts will perform on nine different stages. And you don’t have to walk the 2-mile stretch if you don’t want to: a complimentary trolley featuring en-route comedy performances will shuttle attendees along Adams. Also, according to the Art Around Adams website, there’ll even be an appearance of the Electric Giraffe, a life-sized robotic giraffe that checks in at 17 feet tall when its neck is raised and–no kidding–actually walks! All. For. Free. // The event takes place from 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. 3491 Adams Avenue, 92116. artaroundadams.org

SATURDAY & SUNDAY, JUNE 7-8: AirShow San Diego. Sequester schmequester: This annual event put on by Air Group One, the San Diego wing of the Texas-based nonprofit Commerative Air Force, is taking to the air just as it has in years past. In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy, this year’s show will feature a collection of aircraft, vehicles, and acts representative of the World War II era. Though there is an admission charge to get in to the event, parking is free. // Pre-AirShow tickets start at $16 for adults; discounted prices for veterans, active military, seniors, and children. The event takes place from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday and 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. 1960 Joe Crosson Drive, 92020. ag1caf.org

SATURDAY, JUNE 7: Opening day of the San Diego County Fair. And, guess what? If you buy your ticket for this Saturday at a San Diego County Albertsons or Sav-on, you only pay $4 admission (as long as you spend at least $10 at the Albertsons or Sav-on)! It’s just one of the many deals discussed on the website for the San Diego County Fair, from discount ticket prices, to tips on getting free admission for kids 12 and younger, to info on free parking. That’s right! There are plenty of ways to save in order to splurge on this year’s featured fair food which include Smoked Jack Daniels Bacon-Wrapped Churros, Grilled Cream Cheese Hot Dogs, and the much-discussed Triple Decker Krispy Kreme Cheeseburger. // The fair runs until July 6 and is closed on Mondays as well as June 10 and June 17. Check the website for hours. Regular admission at the gate is $14 for adults, $8 seniors (62 years and older) and children ages 6-12; children 5 years and younger are free. 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., 92014. sdfair.com

“There’s no shortcut to a dream. / It’s all blood and sweat / And life is what you manage in-between.”
- Lyric from “October” by Broken Bells

I feel as though I’ve fallen short this month. I didn’t post as many articles as I had originally planned for May. I tried breaking into a regional travel magazine, but the editors passed on my story ideas. Lately, these setbacks have made me feel like I’ve been walking ankle-deep in warm sand: I know I should get to firmer ground, but the warmth is so comforting that I wonder what it might be like to just stand around for a bit.

Then, I remember that I’ve also been fortunate many times this month. I celebrated my eighth wedding anniversary, I was published in JEMS, and I finished the 100 Happy Days challenge. Some zucchini and cucumber seeds I planted only a week ago have sprouted. When it was unbearably hot outside during that horrific wildfire week, my home was safe and it stayed cool sans the use of an air-conditioner (we don’t have one).

So, it’s okay that I didn’t make it quite as far as I would have liked to in the marathon that is this blog and my freelance writing career. I made progress (rejection means that I tried). Sure, it didn’t lead to immediate success, but it was enough.

Now it’s time to regain momentum.

10 THINGS: MARRIAGE | In honor of my wedding anniversary, I dedicated this month’s 10 Things list to a few of the reasons why I love being married to my best friend.

PUBLISHED: JEMS’ MAY 2014 ISSUE | I don’t only write about food, local events, and travel. My latest articles in print, which covered the topics of ambulance backboards and an ambulance outfitted with a CT scanner, appeared in the May 2014 issue of JEMS, the Journal of Emergency Medical Services.

PURPLE WITH A PURPOSE | To raise awareness of Lupus, a disease affecting an estimated 1.5 million Americans alone, May 16 was designated as Put on Purple Day. In order to encourage readers to join me in wearing purple on that day and throughout the month, I shared a catalog of clothes and accessories in purple.

Despite living in San Diego for 17 years, there are still streets I haven’t driven down, neighborhoods I’ve yet to fully explore. I’m still a tourist in the city I’ve adopted as my home town, and I like it that way. It means that there are still opportunities to seek out the unfamiliar, to feel alive with new experiences, to discover things that I’ll add to my “Why I love San Diego” list.

Two Sundays ago, my husband and I strolled along Sunset Cliffs for the first time. It’s a place visited by surfers, joggers, dog walkers, cyclists, recreational fishermen (and their kids), and stand-up paddleboarders, where high schoolers and college students congregate to cliff jump into the high tide even if doing so is prohibited. Every few feet, strangers stop in their tracks to snap a photo of some striking view. Most people keep to the bluff tops, but there are some who go off-trail to sit on the edge of a sandstone formation and stare out to sea.

It’s tough not to become fixated with the changing attitude of the ocean. In one instance it’s rhythmic. Then, in a blink, it’s thunderous. Waves crash against the rocky shores. If you close your eyes, you can hear the fizz of bubbles as the whitewash swirls in turmoil. And for a moment, you push away the mental list of things you need to do that night, tomorrow, or the next day in order to enjoy the present.

Yeah: I look forward to visiting Sunset Cliffs more often.

***Sunset Cliffs Natural Park is located on the Point Loma peninsula, off of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, running from Adair Street to just beyond Ladera Street. The easiest way to get to it is to take Sunset Cliffs Boulevard south off the 5 freeway, through Ocean Beach. // www.sunsetcliffs.info

It’s simple: Don’t host a Memorial Day barbecue. Instead, find out if there are any Memorial Day events going on in your city, pick one, and roll out to it with some family and friends in tow.

If you’re in San Diego and looking for a spot that will offer prime meats and icy cold craft beers this Memorial Day, consider heading out to Salt & Cleaver in Hillcrest. From 11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Monday, May 26, the kind folk behind The Cleave will offer $2 4-ounce beer tasters, $4 mini sausages, and $10 bottomless mimosas on top of their full menu.

My favorite Salt & Cleaver eats so far include the Ribeye, a housemade ribeye sausage that’s laden with goat cheese, roasted Brussels sprouts, and S&C’s secret sauce; and the Duck.Duck.Pig., a housemade duck and bacon sausage topped with duck confit, baconaze, and orange marmalade. You can find both listed under the “Sausages in a Bun” section of the daily menu.

***Salt & Cleaver’s Memorial Day BBQ will take place on Monday, May 26, 2014, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. // 3805 5th Ave., San Diego, CA 92103 // enjoysausage.com

Saturday, April 26, 2014, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Suzie’s Farm Strawberry Jam. Fun, family-oriented, and free to attend, this San Diego to-do takes place at the farm’s Suzie’s At Sunset spot located east of the Tijuana Estuary. Should you pick your own strawberries from the fields, the haul is yours for $2.50 a pound. Already-picked strawberries will also be sold by the pint and case, as will strawberry-centric foods from food trucks Green Truck, God Save the Cuisine, and Calexico Creamery. That said, you don’t need to buy anything to enjoy an afternoon on the farm. Simply bring your own picnic and take in the live performances from American roots bands Plow and The Big Decisions. 2570 Sunset Avenue, suziesfarm.com

Sunday, April 27, 2014, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: 25th Annual EarthFair. Boasted as the largest free environmental fair in the world, this volunteer-run festival will include a Children’s Earth Parade, more than 300 exhibitors, an all-vegetarian food pavilion, a Cleaner Car Concourse, live entertainment, and art gallery. Don’t know if you’re doing enough to make your home energy efficient? Then check out the eHome exhibit which will also show you ways to make your home environmentally sustainable. Balboa Park, EarthDayWeb.org/EarthFair.html

Saturday and Sunday, April 26-27, 2014, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: 31st Annual Encinitas Street Fair. For those looking for a free-to-attend family event in North County, head out to Downtown Encinitas this weekend and enjoy good food and live entertainment. Got a pup? Hit the Dog Zone, which will feature a dog park and dog obstacle course. Bringing the kids? Hang out at the Kid Zone. Of drinking age? Bask in the beer garden. And if you like pancakes, show up at the 7-11 parking lot on D Street between 7-11 a.m. on Saturday only and get served a stack by the Encinitas Fire Department (profits from the pancake breakfast support local firefighters). S Coast Hwy 101 between D Street and J Street, encinitas101.com/events/annual-aprilstreetfair/